Clam-shell bucket.



PATENTED FEB. 27, 1906.

.lllllllll J. C. SLOGUM. CLAM SHELL BUCKET. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1903.

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UNITED sT-ATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

JOHN O. SLOOUM, OF COLUMBUS,l OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO JOSEPH A. JEFFREY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

GLANl-SHELL BUCKET.

Patented Feb. 27, 1906.

Application filed June 29, 1903. Serial No. 163,653.

To L7/Z whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J onN C. SLooUM, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clam-Shell Buckets, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a side elevation of a mechanism embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a top plan view. Fig. 3 is a partial central vertical section. Figs. 4 and 5 are details.

In the drawings aframework is shown having the side bars or plates A A, these being braced `or joined together in any suitable way.

B B indicate the buckets or scoops. Each is suspended at the front by two verticallyarranged arms or links, as at C C. These are ivoted to the buckets, as shown at c. At tfie upper end the arms or links O are connected by a cross pin or shaft D, and adjacent to the upper end of each there is a pinion E. At F there is arack secured to the frame, with which the pinion E is'adapted to engage. G is a roller adjacent to the pinion and resting upon a track or support at g. As the arm C swings outward and inward it also travels bodily-that is to say, the upper end as well as the lower moves from an outermost to an innermost position, and vice versa, the pinion E rolling back and forth in the rack F.

.At the heel or rear end of the bucket B there is an arm or link H, connected pivotally to the bucket at h. It extends inward to and is connected to a rocking arm I, which is secured to a shaft at J ,p mounted in the frame- Work,

K is a pitman or connecting rod which is pivotally connected to the rocking arm I and extends toward the center of the mechanism, it having at its inner end a strap or loop which engages with an eccentric L on the powershaft M.

N is a rope-wheel secured to the powershaft M, and O is the power-rope, which extends downward from the point of suspension to and around the power-wheel N, to which its end is fastened.

P is a winding drum or spool on the end of the power-shaft, and to this one of the closing-ropes Q is connected, the rope extending therefrom to the heel of the bucket, being preferably secured to the pivot-bar 7L. There is an antifriction-guide for the rope of the sort more or less common in the art, as shown at R. It is not connected to the rope, but merely serves as an antifriction support and guide therefor.

When therweight of the mechanism is allowed to exert itself upon the rope O, it causes the turning of the wheel N and of the power-shaft INI in the frame, which results in the rotating of the drums at P, and the latter winds up and draws upon the closing-ropes Q, which draw the buckets from their outermost -position toward their inner or closed positions.

S is a rope for opening a bucket, it extending from the heel arouncIan antifriction-guide at T and thence to the point of suspension.

It will be understood that for each bucket there can be at each side a set of the abovedescribed parts-that is to say, a front 0r toe arm O, a heel link or arm H, a rocker-arm I, a pitman K, a drum P, a-closing-rope Q, an antifriction rope-guide R, and an opening-rope S and guide T-and it will also be understood that the other bucket is provided similarly with corresponding parts, such as the front or toe arm C', the heel arm or link H, the rocking arm I, the pitman K, the drum P, the closing-rope Q, the antifriction ropeguide R, and an opening-rope S and guide T.

When it is desired to discharge the contents of the buckets and to bring them totheir open positions, it is done by relieving the rope O ,of strain and suspending the mechanism by the ropes S and S. The heel parts or rear parts of the buckets are supportedv entirely independently of the rope-guides R R', their support being provided by the links H H. The pitmen K K shift the upper axes of support for the bucket-heels in such way as to compel the rear ends to travel through a peculiar and advantageous path as the buckets are closing. The front links or arms O C', being bodily movable, can travel forward with the buckets as they approach their closed position, and consequently the power is applied with much greater economy than is the case where the front parts are suspended upon fixed axes. Moreover, by having them thus move bodily and by dispensing with fixed pivots at their upper ends I am enabled to make the mechanism as an entirety IOO much shorter vertically, for the path which the front part of the bucket is compelled to take (although suspended by a comparatively short link) approximates closely to a straight line, much the same as if the link were much longer and suspended at a fixed axis. The shortening vertically of these bucket mechanisms is a great desideratum, as is well known to engineers; but the elongated links or arms which have been used to suspend the front ends of them have prevented such shortening, the length of these arms being necessary in order to give the buckets an approximately straight rectilineal path as they ap roach closing position. The devices which have herein presented enable me to accomplish this and also to apply the power with the utmost economy. It will be seen that the ultimate supporting device for the heels or rear ends of the bucketsr is the powershaft, which is situated at the central part of the frame, this shaft being connected by the eccentrics and pitnien to the upper parts of the bucket-heel links and sustaining them in proper position, and as this shaft is at the central part of the frame,while the shafts or axes at the upper ends of the front arms or links are on lines at the sides of and remote from the center, I attain a superior movement for the buckets as they are passing from their opened to their closed positions. In this respect the present construction resembles to slome extent that which I have heretofore devised and which is shown in my application, Serial N o. 140,614, filed January 26, 1903, the difference as to these parts being that instead of carrying the pitman from the central shaft directly to the bucket-heel I form it in what may be considered two parts-namely, the pitman proper, K, and the arm H-and interpose a rocker-arm at I between them.

What I claim is* 1. The combination of the bucket, the frame, means for supporting the heel of the bucket, and the vibrating depending bucketsupporting link pivotally connected to the bucket at its front end, and having its upper end movable bodily inward and outward as the bucket moves inward and outward, respectively, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the bucket, the frame, means for supporting the heel of the bucket, and the depending vibratable, bucketsupporting link pivotally connected to the bucket at its front end, and means for positively moving the upper end of the link bodily inward and outward as the bucket moves inward and outward, respectively, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the bucket, the frame, means for supporting the heel of the bucket, and the depending vibratable bucketsupporting link pivotally connected to the 'as set forth.

4. The combination of the bucket, the nonrotary frame, means for supporting the heel of the bucket, and the depending vibratable, bucket-supporting link pivotally connected to the bucket at its front end and having its upper end bodily movable relative to said non-rotary frame and supported against friction, and means for positively moving the upper end of the link in and out relatively to said frame as the bucket moves, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of the bucket, the nonrotary frame, the power mechanism, means for connecting the power mechanism to the heel of the bucket, and a swinging support sustaining the front end of the bucket and movable bodily relatively to the non-.rotary frame, in and out, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of the bucket, the frame, means for sustaining the heel of the bucket, the power mechanism connected to the heel of the bucket, the vertically-swinging support for the front end of the bucket, and means for positively moving the upper part of the swinging support bodily inward relative to the frame as the bucket closes, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of a bucket, the nonrotary frame, means for supporting the heel of the bucket, the supporting-link having its lower end pivotally connected to the front end of the bucket and its upper end bodily movable inward and outward relative to the said non-rotary frame as the bucket moves, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination of the bucket, the nonrotary frame, means for supporting the front end of the bucket, heel-supporting means for the bucket, and means for moving bodily inward relatively to the said non-rotary frame both the front support for the bucket and the heel-supporting means as the bucket closes, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination of the bucket, the frame, a vertically-vibrating support for the front end of the bucket, having its upper end supported on an axis bodily movable relative to the frame, heel-supporting means for the bucket, and means for moving bodily inward relatively to the frame both the heel.- supporting means and the upper end of the vertically-swinging support for the front end of the bucket, substantially as set forth.

l0. The combination of the frame, the bucket, the power mechanism, means for supporting the front end of the bucket, the vertically-swinging support for the heel of the bucket, and means actuated by the power mechanism for positively drawing inward bodily relatively to the frame the axis of the IOO IlO

heel-supporting means and the supporting means for the front end of the bucket as the bucket closes, substantially as set forth.

11. The combination of the bucket, the frame, two bucket-supporting links respectively connected pivotally to the front end and to the heel end of the bucket, and each being bodily movable at both ends, in and out as the bucket moves in and out, respectively and means for applying power for the closing of the bucket, substantially as set forth.

12. The combination of the bucket, the frame, the two bucket-supporting links respectively pivoted to the front of the bucket and to the heel of the bucket, and each link swinging vertically around an axis at its upper end, which is bodily movable in and out as the bucket moves in and out, respectively, substantially as set forth.

13. The combination of the bucket, the frame, and the bucket-supporting links respectively pivoted to the front end ofthe bucket and to the heel of the bucket, and each link being supported on an axis which moves inward when the bucket is closing and outward when the bucket is opening, substantially as set forth.

14. The combination of the frame, the bucket, the power mechanism, means for supporting the heel of the bucket, and the swinging arm for the front end of the bucket, and the support for the upper end of said arm interposed between it and the frame and bodyily movable with the arm relatively to the frame, substantially as set forth.

15. The combination of the bucket, the frame, the support for the rear end of the bucket, the closing-rope connected to the rear end of the bucket, the wheel-like guide interposed between the bucket and the power mechanism for guiding the closing-rope, and the vertically-swinging link for the front end of the bucket having its upper end supported on an axis which moves bodily inward and.

outward as the bucket moves, substantially as set forth.

16. The combination of the bucket, the frame, the support for the front end of the bucket movable bodily on the frame, the support for the rear end of the bucket movable bodily relatively to the frame, the powershaft, the closing-rope connected to the heel of the bucket, and the antifriction rope-guide disconnected from the rope and the bucket, substantially as set forth.

17. rlhe combination of the bucket, the frame, a vertically-swinging link-like support forthe heel of the bucket moving around a horizontal axis at its upper end, the powershaft, the closing-rope connected to the power-shaft and extending therefrom to the heel of the bucket, the wheel-like guide for the closing-rope, the link supporting the front end of the bucket and having its upper end supported on the frame by a bodily-movable carrier, and means for causing the upper end of the link tc move bodily inward and outward, substantially as set forth.

18. The combination of the bucket, the frame, the means for movably supporting the front end of the bucket, the two links or arms for supporting the heel of the bucket upon the frame, the power mechanism, the eccentrics and eccentric-rods connected to the two links and adaptedvto bodily move the axis which joins them inward and outward, substantially as set forth.

19. The combination of the bucket, the frame, the link or arm pivoted to the heel of the bucket, the link or arm pivoted to the frame and to the heel-link, the power mechanism means' connecting the power mechanism with the said links to swing them outward and inward as the bucket moves, and a depending link pivotally connected to the front end of the bucket and having its upper end bodily movable inward and outward as the bucket moves, substantially as set forth.

20. The combination of the bucket, the frame, the link or arm pivoted to the heel of the bucket, the link or arm pivoted to the frame and to the heel-link, the power mechanism, means connecting the power mechanism with the said links to swing them outward and inward as the bucket moves, the closing-rope extending from the power mechanism to the heel of the bucket, and the depending link pivoted to the front of the bucket and pivotally supported from the frame, substantially as set forth.

2 1. The combination of the bucket, the frame, the supporting devices for the front end of the bucket, the supporting devices for the rear end of the bucket, and a rack and pinion interposed between one of said supporting devices and the frame to cause it to move bodily inward and outward as the bucket moves, substantially as set forth.

22. The combination oi the bucket, the frame, the supporting devices for the front end of the bucket, the supporting devices for the rear end of the bucket, the rack and pinion interposed between one of said supporting devices and the frame to cause it to move bodily inward and outward as the bucket moves, and the power mechanism connected to the other supporting device of the bucket, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN C. SLOCUM.

Witnesses:

LEoTA I. SAYLOR, J. M. FURNAs.

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